Senior Director, Prospect Research – Donor Intelligence

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Colorado.

📋 Description

• Develop and maintain a long-term strategy for Young Life's donor intelligence and prospect development operations.

• Provide guidance to executive leadership and fundraisers regarding strategies for major and principal-gift prospects.

• Create business cases for tools, data sources, and staffing investments while managing the budget for the function.

• Represent prospect development in campaign planning, preparation for board and Executive Campaign Committee meetings, and organizational strategic planning.

• Oversee the identification and comprehensive research of major and principal gift prospects.

• Manage the wealth screening program, including vendor selection, screening frequency, and validation of external data against CRM records.

• Establish research turnaround times and service-level standards based on prospect tiers.

• Supervise due diligence for naming opportunities, high-risk gifts, and reputational issues.

• Manage the prospect pipeline and development-cycle model, along with CRM stage definitions.

• Lead the construction of portfolios and conduct regular portfolio reviews; set up governance and reassignment processes for portfolios.

• Monitor major and principal gift solicitation activities and closure rates for pipeline health reporting.

• Create predictive and descriptive models to prioritize prospects and segment the donor database.

• Develop reports and dashboards on pipeline health, portfolio penetration, research turnaround, and fundraising forecasts.

• Transform CRM and external data into actionable segmentation for developing annual-giving-to-major-gift pipelines.

• Recruit, manage, and mentor prospect research and prospect management strategists.

• Establish workflows, request intake processes, and service standards for gift officers and leadership.

• Foster a culture of professional growth through APRA and AASP standards, training, and certification opportunities.

• Manage teams of individual contributors and/or supervisors; engage in hiring, training, mentorship, career development, and performance management.

• Collaborate with Operations, GMET, Finance, fundraisers, Marcom, Community Network, and The Table Planning Team to ensure data integrity, CRM configuration, reporting, segmentation, and donor journey requirements are met.

⛳️ Requirements

• A Bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college, preferably in a relevant field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• At least twelve (12) years of pertinent professional experience, including leadership and management of complex initiatives or programs with outcome-driven deliverables.

• A minimum of five (5) years of managerial experience.

• Over 10 years of experience in advancement/development services (fundraiser enablement), with a focus on leading rather than just managing a team.

• Direct experience in managing both researchers and analysts as distinct disciplines within one function.

• Ownership-level experience in both Prospect Research and Prospect Management.

• Experience with comprehensive or capital campaigns of $50M or more.

• CRM strategy and leadership experience, preferably with Salesforce.

• Proficiency in fundraising analytics, including predictive modeling and enterprise reporting (e.g., Power BI, Snowflake, or similar platforms).

• Previous experience in a faith-based, parachurch, or youth-serving nonprofit environment is preferred.

• Familiarity with wealth screening and prospecting tools such as iWave, Lexis Nexis, DonorSearch, WealthEngine, DAFinitive, Windfall, or Instrument.

• Knowledge of APRA's Body of Knowledge, APRA's Salary Survey benchmarks, or AASP best practices.

• CFRE or other relevant fundraising/analytics certification is preferred.

• Strong ethical judgment in prospect research aligned with the Donor Bill of Rights.

• Statistical literacy, data visualization skills, and sound judgment regarding appropriate modeling applications.

• Expertise in portfolio strategy, pipeline analysis, and leadership in cross-functional portfolio reviews.

• Excellent communication skills, change management abilities, team scaling experience, ethical decision-making, and staff development expertise.

• Must profess a belief in Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord and adhere to Young Life's required statements and policies.

• Must be prepared, willing, and capable of fulfilling necessary ministry functions and complying with Young Life's policies and practices.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.

• Opportunities for professional development and training.

• A supportive and mission-driven work environment.